My Evaluation

By Edward Thompson

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My magazine has many forms of conventions of a real media product. For example on my Front

cover it has a Bar Code. A Bar Code is seen on every magazine so by keeping so the codes and

conventions I have a Bar Code on my Front Cover.

Another typical Code and convention on a Magazine, when the main image on the front cover

Covers the Masthead. Here you Can see my main image cover my mast head ‘the lyric’. This is

typical for a magazine front cover to do this because it shows that there magazine creators

and not afraid to cover their Masthead. They no that people recognise there Masthead so well

they don’t need to show all of it.

One my Front cover I have challenged the codes and conventions with my Main image, My

main image is different to most. Most magazine has the main image looking at the camera

and sometimes doing a pose or position which is unique to the magazine. I have blacked out

the face of my Main image and put a question mark there. Saying ‘new band member

revealed’ so it’s a pug itself. Here I have done it my own way and tries something different,

challenging the codes and conventions of a usual media product.

* On my contents page I have definitely challenged the

codes and conventions of a normal magazine contents.

For example the way I have done ‘Contents’ in the top

left hand side of the page is completely different to

other magazine contents and how they do it. They

always use a recurring theme with the masthead. The

contents page would look quite similar to the front

page, as in the colour and style. I have used my own

way and even thought it is similar in some aspects like

the style and unique look about it, it looks different to

my front cover.

* On my DPS I kept the same style and

design as my Front cover. The same type

of writing for example ‘the birth of a

hero’ is the same style of writing as ‘blink

184 new member’. Here I have kept the

same writing style as my front cover and is

very different to a usual magazine front

cover and DPS.

Kerrang magazine for example their style

of writing is completely different from

their front cover then their DPS

Here you

can see

the

similar

text font

and style

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Indie/Rock

The social groups I am trying to attract is the indie/rock world.

Because these two groups are the most successful and popular in

the media business I decided to do my magazine both indie and rock

style.

These are some of the pictures I decided to use for my magazine.

These are typical types of pictures a magazine would use to attract

the younger generation because this is what appeals to them. This

is what they call ‘Cool’

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* It got my magazine influences from many magazines. I had a look at Q magazine for

my contents and layout of my contents, all so the style of my magazine i used was

from Q magazine. The style of the writing i used was similar to Q magazine and also

the positioning of the pictures and the pugs and puffs .

Because I wanted to keep my magazine quite unique and original i decided to take

the ideas of Q

and set it out how i wanted and how it looks best with my article and pugs and

puffs.

So the positioning of the photos and writing would be different to Qs Positioning and

writing but

i still used there ideas through out my work on my Blog.

* I think my style of magazine would suit Q magazine well and it

would bring something different

to the table. I think Q magazine is quiet similar to my magazine in

many ways. The actual context

and writing of the Magazine is very similar to Q magazine.

* Also my Mast head on my front cover is very similar to Kerrang

magazine Masthead, as in

in covers the whole of the top of the page. Its bigger and more

attractive to the eye.

*

* Before i constructed my magazine i did sufficient research on age and gender. I did a

questionnaire to see what the audiences personal choices of age and gender would be. I found

out that most of the results show that their magazine would be for the younger generation and to

mix genders.

* This is what i decided to do with my magazine, I choose to do my magazine for the younger

generation between the ages of 15-25 as that is what most magazines aim at for, example

Kerrang magazine/ NME. Both have the same target audience and that is at the younger adults/

teenagers. I made my magazine in the same shadow.

* The gender of my magazine is mixed. It has no set gender so i decided to make it with the

intention that any person could read it. With the results of my Questionnaire i decided that i was

going to follow the codes and conventions of Kerrang magazine and NME and have no set gender.

* Kerrang magazine has a Niche market, the people there are aiming at are the people who like

rock music, this is what i have done with my magazine but also applies for the indie type bands

as well. Kerrang has no set gender, Women/Girl and Men/Boys can all read the magazine and

they would enjoy, this is what i have tried to do with my magazine. I wanted the audience to

believe that my magazine is for them even if they are a boy or a girl.

*

* My Front cover has many things that would attract an audience. The first thing the

audience would see is the main picture. The main picture is of a mystery man. A

blanked out face of a person with a questionnaire mark on their face. This makes the

audience want to find out who this person is and makes them want to read more.

That image of someone that they could find out in the magazine draws them in. It

makes the audience want to read on and buy my magazine.

Also my colours I have used on my Front cover. Because the front cover is the first

thing the audience would see it is important that it attracts the person, with many

colours pugs and puffs. The colours I have used on my front cover would pull the

reader in, I used bright and eye catching colours on my front cover like this hard red

colour and the bottom of my front cover.

* The language I have used in my Front cover Is to attract the audience. The word

‘REVEALED’ positioned right in the centre of my magazine draws the audience in.

They want to no what is revealed and what this means. Also the words ‘what is the

best band’. A rhetorical question again to draw the reader in. To get them to want to

find out who the best band is.

* This is my masthead and is positioned across my front cover of my magazine. This

much bigger than my original idea and I think more effect. Its more eye catching and

the readers eye would be drawn straight to it. I used the name ‘the lyric’ because it

explains within it self what type of magazine it would be. Lyrics are mostly

associated with solo artists. This is the type of magazine I wanted to construct. A

magazine for solo artists but also for bands. The name ‘the lyric’ is something

different, and what Ive tried to do with the font and style of writing is make it look

like it is a lyric its self. To make it look like it has been written down like someone is

writing down lyrics. Handwriting and messy.

*

* The software I used for my magazine is word 2007. Word allowed me to do substantial things on my magazine and allowed me to edit it in many ways.

* This is the top bar on word which allows me to do what ever I want to my magazine. I used many effects and edit techniques including fade, crop and many more. I personally think that word was a great software to use for my magazine it was very fast and easy to use. You can have as many pages as you want and able to do what ever you want to those pages. Edit them in any way, shape or form.

* There were some problems I had with word. In word it was difficult for me to take the image I have created and put it on my blog. For that I had to use paint. Paint allowed me to crop the photo and save it as a photo unlike word, which it saves the image as a document.

I also used paint.net, pain.net is a programme which lets me to edit whatever photo I like in whatever way I would like. For example

* This Image here I did on paint.net. As you can see that the picture its blured and I

also used an editing technique called oil painting.

This effect makes the image look like a oil painting and with the blured effect the

image comes out like this.

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* When I did my preliminary task I was limited to what software products I used for my magazine and low on ideas. My preliminary task I thought was an ok start to my magazine because it gave a lot of ideas and opened my eyes of the publishing world. It really helped me do my final magazine with the ideas I constructed. Doing the preliminary it really put in prospective what I had yet to do and what I needed to do to bring my magazine grade up.

As you can see its very basic, with the basic pugs and puffs and main image.

This is my preliminary

task

* This is my final magazine front cover and personally I think it has much improved from my

preliminary. What I have learnt is to know what the audience is looking for in a magazine. What

is going to stop them from walking past your magazine and taking no notice. Most importantly

what is going to make the audience want to buy your magazine.

* With the big huge picture and a the Masthead covering the whole of the top of the page I think

this is a good attempt.

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POSITIVES

I think I have made a good magazine. It draws the audience in well and does

its job. With the pugs and puffs I have used I think it would do its job of

enticing people into buying it.

I would say that my strengths are the main image. It is a dominant main

image and very unique. It is different to most magazines and personally this

is what I think that stands out from the crowd then any other magazine.

I also believe that my DPS has much improved and is very effective, the

design and layout is very well done and the pictures match the story line and

fit very well.

NEGATIVES

* a Weakness I would Say are the lack of pugs and puffs on the magazine. There needs

to be more headlines and pugs and puffs to draw the reader in more.

Also I think the Mast head is to plain and needs to stand out more. It needs to be

more dominant and eye drawing. Most Mastheads on magazines are the first thing

the audience sees when they look at the magazine. My Masthead has no colour and

needs to be more eye drawing.

* There needs to be more action on the page, more stuff going on. So there are a lot

of things that the reader could see. If its pugs puffs cover lines etc.